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The Philadelphia Inquirer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania • Page 1

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Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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1
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Spurts Final Edition I Devils shoot down the Stars in Game 1 Sports 171st Year, No. 366 WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 2000 ww.philly.com 75 cents some locationa outsKle the metropolitan area 50 CENTS Inside er Gov. Casey Is Oeac Breaking out on Broadway Form I At 68 ff St 'pp-' turn Hvo terms capped a life of service Steel away 1 -'r (JMH( i t- 1 fstnx Sw- Another crash for trash firm in Phila. An Odyssey Waste truck overturned, blocking 1-95 ramps for hours. The firm's safety record is troubling.

By Jere Downs INQUIRER STAFF WRITER For the second time in a week, a trash-hauling firm with city contracts worth millions and an abysmal federal safety record has wreaked havoc on Philadelphia streets. Yesterday, an Odyssey Waste Services truck overturned on Front Street in South Philadelphia, blocking two ramps to Interstate 95 for six hours. "It was a lovely mess," said Mimi Post, an analyst for SmarTraveler, a traffic-information service. "No traffic could get on the ramps until the whole situation was finally cleaned up around 8 a.m." Last week, a truck tractor leased to Odyssey slammed into a Southwest Philadelphia house. After running away from angry residents, driver Reynaldo Crawford turned himself in and was charged with driving under the influence.

Carl Singley, part owner of Odyssey and a confidant and campaign contributor to Mayor Street, yesterday called the two accidents "unfortunate." Company controller Nick Pisa-cano, who said two-thirds of Odyssey's $7 million in annual revenues came from city trash contracts, said: "These two incidents in one week's time are a coincidence." Odyssey's federal safety record indicates that its trucks have run in poor condition during the company's last two years in operation. In 34 random roadside inspections over the last two years, law-en-See ACCIDENTS on A10 JOHN COSTELLO Inquirer Staff Photographer The last stop for thousands of cars towed from Philadelphia streets is the shredding machine at Camden Iron Metal, which reduces them to their recyclable components. Sweep cleared 32,852 vehicles Calls for Towing of Abandoned Cars Calls by police district, ranked by percentage of all calls received. 7 Kevin Chamberlin has come a long way frora'Moorestown. He plays Charlie, an obsessed Mae West fan, and eight other roles in Dirty Blonde.

The performance has brought him a Tony nomination and the chance to go beyond character parts. Magazine, Dl Potential victory for business The Supreme Court will consider forcing the government to take costs into account before it sets national air-quality standards. A2 Regional News Test scores and budget cuts School district reports improved 1 results for fourth graders as it prepares to trim $30 million. Bl Aiding the 'stranger-brother Since 1882, the Hebrew. Immigrant Aid Society Council has helped resettle more than 100,000 immigrants and refugees.

Bl Two survivors intend to sue In the collapse of Pier 34, each will seek in excess of $50,000 from the nightclub operator. Bl Baptists choose Philadelphia The National Baptist Convention in 2002 promises to be one of the larger gatherings at the Convention Center. Business, CI 'Clerks' finally comes to TV Kevin Smith's animated version of his movie about Central Jersey slackers was promoted during the Super Bowl and then put on hold. It debuts tonight. Magazine, Dl Inside scoop on the Hamptons Steven Gaines, author of Philistines at the Hedgerow, keeps watch on the rich and the powerful.

Magazine, Dl Obituaries Gordon "Tex" Beneke, 86, a singer and sax player who took over the Glenn Miller Orchestra after the band leader's death during World War II. B7 Arthur B. Morgenstern, 60, who gave up a successful career as a real estate attorney and investor at age 50 to study the Torah. B7 Columnists Tom Ferrick Stripping the city of architectural treasures. Bl Lucia Herndon: School uniforms are a cosmetic solution at best.

Dl Claire Smith: The sagas of Eric Lindros and Allen Iverson. El Rick Nichols: A country-boy chef caught in a big-city shuffle. Fl Weather Partly sunny today. High 77, low 60. Humid and cloudy tomorrow.

High 87, low 64. Full report, B7 Sections Nationallnrl A City Region Business Magazine Sports Food Triclassifieds Features Comics D10 Editorials A20 Legal Notices C7 Movies D4 Newsmakers 02 Obituaries B6 Puzzles Dll Television 2000. Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc. Call 215-665-1234 01 1-800-523-9068 for home delivery. mwm Iwtekf QMorelfian10 By Robert Zausner INQUIRER HARRISBURG BUREAU HARRISBURG Robert P.

Casey, 68, a coal miner's son who rose to become a two-term governor of Pennsylvania, died last night at Mercy Hospital in his hometown of Scranton. Gov. Casey, a lawyer who also served as a state senator and as Pennsylvania auditor general, was known throughout his career for tenacity, a trait ev idenced by his five campaigns for governor over four decades. After three losses, he finally won the office in 1986. He was reelected four years later in the biggest landslide in state history.

Gov. Casey suffered from a rare hereditary Robert P. Casey became known for tenacity and independence. disease that caused him to undergo a heart-liver transplant seven years ago. He had been in poor health, unable to walk and confined to hospitals, for the last year.

A hospital spokesman said the former governor, who had been at Mercy since Sept. 14, was declared dead at 8:05 of a serious infection. A fervent Democrat, Gov. Casey stood solidly behind some of his party's most enduring ideals, particularly in his concern for poor and blue-collar citizens. An observant Roman Catholic, he was unswervingly opposed to abortion a position that sometimes put him at odds with his party and that prompted him to flirt with a presidential candidacy in 1996.

He was known for a stubborn, in-See GOV. CASEY on A16 Tech rally lifts Wall St. to big gains The Nasdaq index jumped a record 7.9 percent. The Dow and other averages also moved higher. By Joseph N.

DiSlefano INQUIRER STAFF WRITER Technology stocks stepped out of the junkyard yesterday, as bargain-hunting investors returned from the Memorial Day holiday to buy the battered names that almost no one had been willing to pay for jn the past month. A rush of buy orders for such pop? ular tech stocks as Cisco Systems and Qualcomm Inc. drove the Nasdaq composite index up a record 7.9 percent yesterday to close at 3,459.48 up 254.37 points though it remained far below its March 27 peak of 5,048.62. The rise, after a two-month plunge, left market-watchers speculating whether what had been the nation's most valuable and fast-rising stocks were enjoying a shortlived bounce or whether investors have now digested the Federal Reserve's latest round of interest-rate increases and are prepared to buy stock. "A day or two more of this, and some headlines, and people will be back for a summer rally," predicted Jack Beausang, a former owner of a Philadelphia Stock Exchange trading firm who now operates the Stocks.com Web site.

Other stock indexes were higher, but to a lesser extent than the Nasdaq index. The Dow Jones industrial average of 30 widely held stocks rose 2.2 percent, or 227.89 points to See STOCKS on A10 Will the boom times ever end? Andrew Cassel, Business, CI. By Cynthia Burton and Elisa Ung INQUIRER STAFF WRITERS The city did not tow 40,000 abandoned cars in 40 working days as advertised, but city officials yesterday dubbed Mayor Street's first big blight-removal effort a success. The city has towed 32,852 abandoned cars, at a cost of $1.2 million, since April 3, Managing Director Joseph S. Martz said.

He added that the first phase of Street's neighborhood-recovery program was not over. He said that the abandoned-car program, staffed by 40 police officers and five clerks, would continue and that the abandoned-car hotline (215-683-2277) would remain active. Between April 3 and today, the city will have towed more cars than it did in all of 1999, Martz said. By Martz's calculation, the 40 working days are up today. April showers kept salvagers off the roads for several days, and city officials did not count weekends and holidays, he said.

The city did not wind up towing 40,000 cars, in part because City Hall overestimated the number of cars on the streets, Martz said. Some cars probably numbering in the thousands were picked off the streets by owners who did not want them sent to the crusher, he said. Martz said that on June 17, officials will announce a big citywide cleanup. He encouraged people to volunteer as See CARS on A14 I OS' ,11 fj Ussthan2 Calls for Towing, by Vfek 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 11 E3 E3 527 48 422 56 520 Ending 415 429 513 SOURCE: Philadelphia Police Department The Philadelphia Inquirer How junk cars are shredded. Graphic, B1 Philadelphia is not the that's swinging for new 'An early warning' on child obesity New pediatric growth charts will use the Body Mass Index.

The goal: To find those at risk sooner. By Marlene Cimons LOS ANGELES TIMES WASHINGTON Federal health officials issued new pediatric growth charts yesterday that more accurately reflect the nation's diversity and, for the first time, include a tool to identify children who are at risk for obesity. More than half of all Americans are overweight, and the number of American children who are overweight has doubled in the last 20 years, federal officials say. The new charts use the Body Mass Index, or BMI, a single number that evaluates an individual's weight in relation to height. But unlike the BMI numbers for adults, which do not change, the new BMI measures for children continue to reflect differences as children grow.

"The BMI is an early warning signal that is helpful as early as age 2," said Health and Human Services Secretary Donna E. Shalala, speaking at a national nutrition summit. Also at the nutrition conference, Agriculture Secretary Dan Glick-man announced that the government plans to test two of the na-See DIETS on A19 A big problem: The increase in serving sizes. Food, F1. only city stadiums A look at other cities that have completed recent stadium deals shows that such arrangements can vary widely.

Some benefit the teams. In Cincin nati, for example, the Bengals football team and Reds baseball team put in little of the overall cost but get almost all of the revenues generated by the stadiums. Pittsburgh's plan, on the other hand, would ensure that the Steelers football team and Pirates baseball team con tribute a significant amount to building costs while shouldering the burden of continuing expenses. Other cities' stadium deals depend on such factors as the local See STADIUM on A14 In fact, this city and others, including Boston, are moving down a well-traveled road lined with plenty of examples of how to structure a deal and how not to. Philadelphia still has a blank slate when it comes to the stadiums' terms.

Over the last few weeks, Mayor Street's stadium-negotiating team and the Phillies and Eagles have swapped information about the proposed $450 million football stadium in the South Phila From San barriers all too to the team popping Boston to Francisco, familiar Street keep up. By Clea Benson INQUIRER STAFF WRITER The land costs for a new ballpark are rising, pushing the project over a half-billion dollars. The mayor says he won't Commit public money unless the city is guaranteed to get back what it pays out. A legislative deadline for approving the project is ticking down. Philadelphia? Nope.

It's Boston, where lawmakers and the Red Sox are in the midst of a debate over how to pay for a new Fenway Park, a debate that mirrors the intensity and complexity of Philadelphia's quandary over new stadiums. Philadelphia and its sports teams, it seems, have company in their effort to cut a deal that would enable the teams to play in state-of-the-art facilities while leaving taxpayers unscathed. delphia sports complex and the proposed $540 million baseball park at 12th and Vine Streets. But, with a self-imposed deadline of June 15 looming, the sides have yet to start talking about who would pay for what..

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Pages Available:
3,845,124
Years Available:
1789-2024